


The Pokemon Slayer

by Kumikoko



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, M/M, Magikarp King of Beasts, Samurai, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-02-15 15:27:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13034073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kumikoko/pseuds/Kumikoko
Summary: When a catastrophic evil is unleashed onto the original four lands, only a boy and his magikarp can save the world.





	The Pokemon Slayer

**Author's Note:**

> The story takes place in Sinnoh, although Pokemon from all generations may be encountered along the journey.
> 
> Note that the story is not for the light of heart. Please be aware of that. There are specific incidences to watch out for such as: Explicit violence, and even Pokemon death. Ressurection is not guaranteed. 
> 
> Darren and Lucian are original characters of mine that I fleshed out specifically for the Pokemon fanfiction I wanted to write, here. The Pokemon themselves are not mine, since I did not create Pokemon. Trust me, you'd know if I had. But I didn't. 
> 
> Basically, my fanfiction is dedicated to the original fans of Pokemon, who, like me, desperately want to see a mature, adult story of the Pokemon world. Please bare with me. 
> 
> Here's some side notes:   
> When words are in italics, a character is thinking in his mind, which means the words are not vocalized.   
> When . . . appear in the middle of the story, they represent an undisclosed amount of the passing of time.

The Pokemon slayer

 

Chapter 1: Darren: The Magikarp Farmer

 

An ominous breeze swept  through Eterna City, leaving the citizens with a uneasy feeling in their gut. They were skittish, and overly cautious as they tried to pretend that their sense of foreboding was the result of little sleep, yet, unbeknownst to them, the oppressive  atmosphere was spreading across the continent of Sinnoh like a plague long, past that stretched to the simple country folk in the Eterna Forest. 

Many farming families lived in the Eterna Forest. They worshiped Celebi every Sunday. The Kharps were no exception. They were proud Magikarp Breeders. They were good-natured, kind-hearted, and calm…their teenage son Darren, reflected none of those redeeming qualities. He was spry, sarcastic and sensitive, on a good day.

Today was no different.

Darren woke up with a start. _The Pokemon_! Darren scrambled out of his bed, half falling, half leaping for the door. He yanked the bedroom door open and rushed outside, into the crisp morning air.

_Karp_! _Karp_! _Karrrrpp_!

Splash! Splasssh!

“Ah! The Magikarp!” Darren exclaimed, and hurried towards the ponds, where the enraged Magikarp were splashing water on to the grass in an anxiety-induced mental breakdown. _I have never seen them this pissed off before. What is their problem_? Darren wondered, scratching his head.

The forest around him was alive with Pokemon who shared the Magikarp’s fear, and anger. Darren could hear them—all of them, hollering and wailing. A wary shiver scaled down Darren’s spine. He turned on his heels and headed towards the cabin.

Magnolia and Willow Kharp stepped outside, just as rattled as Darren was about the loud unrest all around them. Their concerned expressions melted instantly upon seeing Darren head towards them. They both swallowed their fear.

“Mom, Dad. There is something weird going on here.” Darren stated the obvious, and gestured with his hands towards the ornery Magikarp who were now flopping on the ground in large numbers.

“Yes, I can see that. Thank you, son.” Willow groaned, and patted his son’s head. “Now, go wash that sweat out of your hair and then head into town while we calm the Magikarp down.” Willow said firmly, nudging Darren into the house.

“That didn’t sound like a suggestion, Pops.” Darren grumbled, feeling as if he was being herded into the house.

“It wasn’t.” Willow confirmed, and shut the front door.

“But wait—“ Darren argued, and whirled around on his heels, and reached for the door. He stopped _. I want to help but…I know I’ll just get in their way. Damn it_. Darren groaned in defeated frustration and tried to ignore the commotion outside.  In his heart he knew they were only trying to protect him—but he just felt smothered.

“Do _not_ wear those darn city clothes to school today!” Magnolia called after Darren, her voice muffled from the separation of the door.

_I am_ definitely _wearing my city clothes_ , _Ma_. Darren thought bitterly and decided to comply with his father’s “suggestion,” to bathe the sweat out of his dark hair. _The last thing I need is to hear cute girls  tell me is that I stink_. Darren decided as he stripped the overalls off of his body and carelessly threw them to the bathroom ground as if he was not going to come home later that day and put a clean pair of overalls on.

By the time that Darren had bathed, and tugged on his prized city clothes, the forest was silent. Eerily silent. Darren sauntered into the kitchen where Magnolia was cooking breakfast for the family. Darren leaned against the doorframe, one hand in his pocket.

“What was wrong with the Magikarp?” Darren asked, figuring his Magikarp enthusiast parents would have an explanation, even if it was one that was meant to protect him from the truth.

“The weather is turning foul, which makes the forest Pokemon restless.” Magnolia responded, and set the last plate of food on to the table.

Darren frowned, and wondered if his mother knew more about this morning’s Magikarp incident than she was letting on. _She probably doesn’t_. Darren mulled to himself.

“Are those your city clothes I specifically told you not to wear?” Magnolia asked, her disparaging tone causing Darren to straighten his back.

“Oops! Must not have heard you, Ma.” Darren replied sheepishly, and snagged the egg sandwich off of the plate nearest to him. “Everything is calm now so I am going to head off to town. Bye-bye!” Darren quipped cheekily as he scurried out of the house, with his messenger bag slung around his body from his shoulder.

“Wait—Darren! We were supposed to eat together…!” Magnolia called after him, though her angry mom voice faded the further he fled from the cabin.

_Sheesh. It’s not like I dress like a thug_! Darren griped to himself as he headed down the dirt road towards Eterna City. _A tight, sleeveless, black turtle neck shirt and cargo jeans are not trashy_. Darren ranted haughtily in his head, and ate the sandwich he had snagged off of the table. The further into the forest, the more he noticed that he was alone in the quiet air, and he didn’t like it. He glanced around himself, becoming nervous. _Man, there’s not even a Caterpie crawling around_ …Darren grumbled, and shoved both of his hands into his pockets.

The trek to Eterna City was silent. Darren hunched his shoulders and walked faster, wanting to get the hell out of the forest he grew up in. _Agh, I told Ma that I wanted a Poochyena_. Darren sighed, silently wishing he had a Pokemon of his own to keep him company for days he felt as if the forest itself was watching him. _Kids go missing all the time, yet here I am, alone in the forest. Not that I am a kid, of course, but_ …Darren looked about himself again, and walked quicker. _The sooner I arrive in the city, the better_ …

. . .

Eterna City was bustling with people and Pokemon alike. Darren felt a sense of relief as he traveled down familiar streets. A lingering feeling of anxiousness resided in his stomach, yet he tried to distract himself with the busy life of the city that, a few years ago, had been nothing more than a small, religious town that had hung on to its religious roots as long as it could. Now, the only religion and tradition to be found in Eterna city resided in the museum.

An advertisement poster promoting the museum was on the wall of the general store. Darren stopped in his tracks upon noticing it. _The museum. Huh. I wonder if there are any historical documents that could shine some light on why the Magikarp—no, the entire forest, flipped out this morning_. Darren wondered, and headed towards the museum to find out.

Along the way, Darren noticed a group of school girls heading his way. He instinctively shied away, ducking his head in the hopes that they wouldn’t recognize him.

“Ooh, you’re soo right, Bella. He is cute.” The short, plump girl of the group “tried” to whisper to her tall, gangly friend. “It’s just too bad that he’s _just_ a Magikarp farmer.” 

Darren stopped, and clenched his hands into fists. _Just. Just a Magikarp farmer, they say. Just_. Darren seethed internally, having heard those words too many times from girls, and parents alike. _Just_. Darren scraped his fingers through his hair in frustration as he walked away from the giggling girls. “Tch!”

_My family could have bred any Pokemon in the world, and yet they chose Magikarp_ …Darren sighed, feeling sorry for himself. _Even Jake of the Ratatta farm has had a girlfriend before…yet I am sixteen and have never had a girl not laugh at me for being the son of Magikarp farmers_ …

The large, modern museum was an eyesore, yet Darren hurried up the stairs because he knew that the only time that fellow students entered the museum was on school field trips. Darren dug some cash out of his pocket and handed it to the too friendly receptionist, paying the modest admittance fee. _This will get my mind off of the crazy Magikarp and status conscious girls_.

He walked through the white halls of the museums and poked his head into some rooms. _Kyogre, Raikou, Ash’s Pikachu_ …Darren silently read off the labels of the rooms he saw, and then paused by. One round room caught his attention. The room was dedicated to Celebi, the time-travel Pokemon. _Time travel, cool_.

Darren stepped up to the center pedestal, where a replica statue of Celebi had been made, pieced together like a puzzle. A sense of awe overcame him, for the statue was impressive. He then looked at the legend of Celebi, written on the stone slab. He had heard it before.

Who in Eterna City hadn’t? The town had strong religious roots, after all. However, Celebi was only revered with a God-like status amongst the country folk these days. _Mom and Pop believe Celebi is still alive_. Darren thought, unsure what that said—or didn’t say about his parents. He looked around the room, to follow along with Celebi’s story that was displayed in painting format on the walls.

A hunter had once tried to capture Celebi. One young boy and his Pikachu rescued Celebi and set Celebi free into the wild thereafter.

_Women do like Celebi. If I caught Celebi, would girls want to marry me then_? Darren mused, than decided that with his bad luck that even if he caught Celebi, girls would think him barbaric for keeping such a cute fairy like Pokemon inside of a small Pokeball. Girls were weird like that, after all.

BOOM!

A loud noise caused Darren, and other museum goers to jump.

The ground began to shake.

Darren lost his balance, and pulled right hand out of his pants pocket to grab on to the pedestal. The Magikarp journal Darren usually kept with him was pulled out of his pocket as a result, and landed on the floor, unbeknownst to Darren.

“Wha—“ Darren shakily began to voice.

The ground stopped shaking.

_An earthquake_? Darren wondered while he stood up straight and tried to calm his racing heart.

Eterna City hadn’t experienced quakes since the journey’s of Ash and Pikachu. Though, Eterna had been in danger then. Earthquakes were not common in, nor near Eterna, which made Darren remember his unease about that morning when the Magikarp were flipping out.

_Could the Magikarp, and other Pokemon predict that the Earth would shake_? Darren wondered, wandering out of the room. He saw some people tugging their children along to the exit. Apparently, no one wanted the museum to fall down on them, should another earthquake occur. Darren was riled too, but he was not deterred. He came across another room of interest—one that held a single magikarp pedestal amongst a variety of other Pokemon pedestals.

_Magikarp made it into the museum_? Darren questioned to himself, and headed into the room to investigate. He had a feeling that he was the only one who had visited the Magikarp statue in awhile, since it was the only pedestal that had dust on it. Darren blew the dust away, and read the epigraph: _Meet Magikarp! The most useless, undesired Pokemon in the entire world. He is once said to have been an ornery foe in ancient times_.

_Ugh_. Darren slumped with disgust, and rolled his eyes. _That has never been true. Never. I know. I work with them_. _They’ve always been useless_. _And yet, Mom and Pop decided to breed them. What were they thinking_?

Rrrrrrrmmmmbbbl!

Darren flailed his arms out to regain his balance.

_Another quake? I should head home_. Darren exited the room quickly, and began to turn right.

A flash of bright light caught his eye. _What was that_? Darren turned left, and saw that a light was protruding from a crack on a closed door. A yellow tape read _keep out, new exhibit not open to the public_.  Naturally, Darren headed for the door. He twisted the doorknob and found that the quakes must have jiggled the lock free of its confines because the door actually opened. Darren looked over his shoulder to see if anyone was watching him.

He could hear people and children in the building, but no one was in the immediate area. Darren quickly disappeared into the room, and shut the door behind him. His hand fumbled along the wall for a light. Once he found the light switch, he flipped it on.

Light illuminated the room.

In the middle of the room was a large statue of a tall, lean young man from the Samurai Era of the Four Lands, poised to strike. Darren paused, recognizing the long, blonde hair that was tied back into a high pony-tail, and the cold, piercing blue eyes on the man’s chiseled face.

_No way_ … Darren breathed unsteadily, feeling his heart beat quicken with fear.

The epigraph read;

Lucian: The Pokemon Slayer.

Darren took a startled step back, towards the door. _I don’t want to see this_. Darren thought, even though he looked around the darkly painted room at the horrible story that surrounded The Pokemon Slayer.

In the days of the Four Lands, people hunted Pokemon for sport. Lucian, the Pokemon Slayer was known to have killed hundreds of innocent Pokemon, sometimes at the request of other humans. If a ratatta was eating a vegetable garden, as one example showed, the Pokemon Slayer would stab the rat with his sword and barbeque it on an open fire.

_He is the embodiment evil_! Darren thought, and shuddered with fear at the knowledge that someone evil enough to kill Pokemon had existed. Pokemon had never really harmed anyone before, that was common knowledge—and those Pokemon who did harm people were rehabilitated—never killed because violence only begets violence. Darren took another step back towards the door and reached for the handle, wanting to get the hell out of the room. Just looking upon the Pokemon Slayer’s statue made Darren’s sense of foreboding from the morning return with full force.

Just as Darren grasped the handle in his hand, the ground beneath him began to shake violently. The paintings on the walls clattered to the ground. Mini statues that revolved around The Pokemon Slayer’s story crashed to the ground and broke. The only statue that didn’t fall was The Pokemon Slayer’s. Darren did not usually put stock into bad omens, but he was sure there was an ill message being sent, and received here. He yanked the door open and stumbled into the rumbling hallway.

Those people and families who had not been deterred by the first two quakes were now making a beeline for the entry room to leave. Darren thought that was a good idea, and headed down the hall on unsteady feet.

_Wait. My Magikarp journal. Where is it_? Darren questioned, pawing at his pockets. _Ah, it must have fallen in the Celebi exhibit_. Darren realized, and quickly headed into the first room he had entered, knowing he had to be quick about this since the force of the earthquake was becoming violent. He spotted the fallen journal on the cracking white tile, near the Celebi statue. Darren lunged for it.

Crrrrack! Chk!

Each tile began to break up, and separate from the force of the quake. Darren snagged the journal. The walls around him were dislodged, causing the ceiling to break, and crumble. 

The world went dark.

. . .

“Ngh…” Darren groaned softly as consciousness returned to him. Darkness surrounded him.   _Great…I can’t see a thing…but at least the Earth isn’t shaking anymore_ …Darren thought, and pushed himself up with his arms. He stopped, knocking into a solid. _What_? Darren slowly lifted his hand up and felt a hard, but smooth structure was hovering over him, preventing him from sitting up.

_Oh right…the ground was shaking. Did the…did the museum collapse_? Darren wondered, and began to paw around himself in the darkness. Panic began to fluctuate in his heart as he realized that he was trapped. _The ceiling must have collapsed_. _But…how am I okay_?  

That was the question that burned in Darren’s mind. If the Museum really did collapse, how was he okay? From what he remembered, when he lunged for the journal, he had been in the center of the room. If the ceiling had collapsed, the chunks of debris would have crushed him.

_Unless…unless the Celebi statue fell on me_? _In such a way as to shield me from the ruin_? Darren guessed, since it was the only explanation he could think of as to why he was okay. The idea sounded crazy—just as crazy as the museum collapsing, of course. _Crap, no one knows that I am here. How long will it take for the museum to want to collect its artifacts_? _I could be here for days_.

Roooar!!!

_A Pokemon_? Darren assumed as a loud roar could be heard from outside of the museum.

Similar roars, and shouts from people followed, right in tune with the hard tapping of rain against the pavement.

_If there is another commotion outside, no one will bother to even start chipping away at this rubble. I have to free myself, or die trying_. Darren decided, and blindly grabbed at whatever he could and pulled. Something hard was wedged free, but fell on Darren’s hand.

“Ow!” Darren cursed, and sheltered his hand against his bruised, throbbing hand against his chest. _I really could die trying_. He realized. _If I just had some light_ …

As if on cue, a dim, light green light showed through the rubble. _Celebi_? Darren wondered, then pushed the thought to the back of his mind. _No, that’s crazy. Even if she was here, she wouldn’t be helping a Magikarp farmer—breeder, like me_. Darren figured, and carefully pulled at the rubble that he could now somewhat see in the low light.

_Sunlight must be reflecting off of Celebi’s statue_. Darren decided, and managed to create a small opening in the debris. He inched forwards, tugged more debris away, and inched again, working up a sweat. Darren was intent on escaping. He barely noticed the cuts and scrapes he received from jagged, sharp pieces of the rubble.

After what felt like an hour, Darren saw actual fading sunlight, and clawed himself up, and out of the rubble. He looked around himself and saw that the Celebi statue indeed had fallen over him, thus shielding him from the ceiling that fell. Rain began to fall on him.

_Damn. Celebi really did protect me_. Darren realized, than stood up on shaky feet. He saw that a good portion of the museum had fell.

_What_? Darren stepped forwards, stumbled on the uneven rubble, caught himself, and quickly headed for the cracked sidewalk. One look around the town made Darren stop.

The buildings of the town were decimated, and strewn on the ground.

_That earthquake…it devastated the town_ … Darren realized, and saw bodies of people and Pokemon laying still on the ground, and underneath rubble. He shivered, seeing the devastating effects of a natural disaster. _Although…the earthquake doesn’t quite explain that_! Darren witnessed a man trying to fight a Machoke off of him.

The man was losing.

Darren scurried down the street, running away from the terrible, bloody sight. He had never seen violence of this magnitude before and didn’t have the first clue as to how to respond, so he ran like the sheltered teenager he was. _I have to see if my mom and pop are okay_. Darren thought, and hurried through the city streets, desperate to return home.

Every path he took was littered with crushed buildings, and death.

One woman was smacking a hostile Skitty with her purse.  Darren saw a collar around the cat’s neck, and realized that the volatile Pokemon must not all be wild. _They must be attacking their trainers. But why_? Darren wondered, and quickened his pace towards the forest. He did not want to encounter a hostile Pokemon, for he had no way to defend himself. No Pokemon, and no gun.

As Darren rounded a sharp corner, a Stantler blocked his path. Darren stopped, concerned as to how to go around the Stantler without pissing it off more than it already appeared to be. Stantler saw red, and charged, knocking Darren against the wall.

Pain ruptured throughout Darren’s body, but he could not scream. The wind had been knocked out of him and he doubled forwards. The Stantler snarled, and gored its horns deeper into Darren’s body.

All of a sudden the Stantler was thrust away, leaving two small, gaping holes in Darren’s chest. Darren crumpled to the ground, placing his hands over his chest.

A hairy mountain man was wrestling with the snarling Stantler.

“Stop it, Stantler!” The man demanded, and did his best to wrangle the volatile Stantler. Stantler kept fighting him, its horns slashing the man’s skin repeatedly. “What has gotten into you!?” The trainer of Stantler screeched in confusion, having never seen Stantler so willing to attack someone else before.

Stantler broke free of the man, kicked him in the face and promptly charged Darren again, just because he was in his line of sight. Darren threw his arms in front of his face, bracing for another vicious impact.

“No! Stantler!” The man shouted desperately, but Stantler didn’t stop.

Wouldn’t stop.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The Stantler fell to its side,  just before making a brutal assault on Darren.

Darren felt his ears ring and vibrate from the loud, unfamiliar noise. He opened his green eyes and saw Stantler motionless on the ground. A puddle of blood was forming beneath his tan fur. Darren looked up to the man hurrying to Stantler’s side. A small, smoking gun was tossed to the sidewalk.

“Stantler! Why? Why couldn’t you just stop?” Cried the man, who knelt down beside his deceased friend. “Whatever was wrong, we could have figured it out together! Stantler! Stantler!” The guy sobbed now, as he shook and held his precious deer Pokemon against him.

_He chose me over his own Pokemon_. Darren realized, watching the heartbreaking, emotional display before him. He couldn’t hear a damn thing, but words weren’t needed for him to see that the man only shot Stantler to protect a child. A human child. One he didn’t even know. _But…but I am just a magikarp farmer—breeder_! Darren wanted to scream, but he couldn’t. The violence was too much for him. He jumped up, and ran from the horrific scene.

_Stantler didn’t have to die—not for me! I wasn’t worth that, couldn’t he see? I’m just a_ …Darren stopped, and looked down at his city clothes. The city clothes that made people who didn’t know him think of him as just another city kid…and not the magikarp breeder he was.

“Ugh!” Darren set a hand on the building next to him to steady himself, leaned over, and retched. The breakfast that his mother had so lovingly prepared for him splattered on to the sidewalk. Still queasy, Darren trudged on towards the forest.

The forest was alive with Pokemon screeching, and scurrying from one place to another in blind fury. A group of Caterpie’s jumped off of the branches of the overhead trees and landed on Darren. Darren shrieked in surprise and threw them off of him. He kicked the others off of his combat boots and ran down the dirt road, knowing if he could just arrive home, his parents would protect him and right now, that sounded like a wonderful idea.

A flock of Pidgy swooped down from the tree branches and began to incessantly peck at Darren with their sharp beaks. As he ran, he batted at them with his arms. The assault was not personal—Darren had seen that from the city. Pokemon had attacked other humans, and were continuing to do so indiscriminately.

All of a sudden the pidgy scattered, chirping with newfound fear. An Arbok was curled around a thin tree. Arbok hissed menacingly. _Nope_. Darren ran a wide berth around the tree, and headed up the forested plateau that the Kharp family farm resided on.

The farm was quiet. Too quiet.

_Something is wrong_. Darren realized, feeling the knot of fear in his stomach tighten. A repetitive crushing, gnashing noise drew his attention to the magikarp ponds, where a large, lavender creature sat, amongst a pile of fish bones and scales.

It was a gigantic, intimidating wing-creature that had sharp, stone-like spikes all over its body. Darren had seen a similar creature in the museum, though that extinct Pokemon was one, extinct, and two, it did not have the spikes on its body.  Whatever it was, it was _feasting_ on the magikarp!

“No! Stop! Those are my fish!” Darren exclaimed, horrified that his families way of life was over. _We’ll be homeless. These…these stupid magikarp can’t even fight for their lives_. He clenched his hands into fists, angry and sad that so many magikarp lost their lives today.

“Darren? Darren! Stay back!” Magnolia shouted, a broken rake near her.

“Mom?” Darren followed her voice, and saw she was knelt next to Willow. “Dad!?” Darren questioned, his voice shrill with panic. He stepped towards them.

“Don’t!” Magnolia commanded, not wanting Darren to see the extent of his father’s injuries.

“But—“ Darren argued, wanting to reunite with his family.

The terrifying creature spit out another Magikarp skeleton.

“Listen! There is one last Magikarp. You have to find it, and run.” Magnolia told him, her long dark hair sticking to her face from the heavy rainfall. Darren hesitated for only a moment, then he hurried towards the magikarp ponds, where the beast was seeking another magikarp to eat.

_I don’t want to get near him…but if he finds that magikarp before I do, we’ll really have nothing_ …Darren thought, and watched the Pokemon carefully. The scary dinosaur like monster did not seem to be concerned about Darren, but Darren had been attacked by too many Pokemon lately to trust it. Darren stopped at the opposite edge of the pond that the brutish Pokemon was scouring. He looked into the clear water and scanned it, knowing all of the Magikarp’s favorite hiding places.

A single magikarp was swimming mindlessly in the water, narrowly escaping the sharp claws and fangs of the predator Pokemon by dumb luck. The magikarp’s left barbell snagged on an underwater plant.

“There!” Darren exclaimed, and jumped into the pond without a second thought.

Cold water shocked Darren’s system enough to remind him that he was injured, yet Darren’s mind was preoccupied with reaching the magikarp before the reptilian like Pokemon did. Darren pulled the magikarp free, and swam towards the surface. The weight of his clothes, and boots weighed him down.

_I don’t know if I can do this_. Darren realized, with growing panic. Just then, claws seized him, and yanked him out of the water.

“Augh!” Darren shouted, and held the magikarp tight against his body, in an effort to hide it from the dangerous animal.

“Ahhh! Darren!” Magnolia cried out fearfully and grabbed the splintered, jagged half of the broken rake. She ran at the Pokemon, who dangled her son above its ferocious jaws. “You let him go, you!” Magnolia yelled as she stabbed the unknown Pokemon repeatedly. The jagged rake, like Willow’s shotgun, did not pierce through the Pokemon’s tough hide.

The Pokemon became enraged, and whacked her away with his tail.

“Mother!” Darren cried terrified that he would lose her.

A horrible screech was elicited from the Pokemon, then Darren felt as if he was flying. The Kharp farm was quickly disappearing from Darren’s sight. He realized he had been tossed aside, and felt a new surge of fear spread throughout him. Darren held the chattering Magikarp tighter, shut his eyes, and hoped like hell that death would not hurt.

Darren slammed into tree branches that broke, and slowed his fall. He dropped to the ground, bruised and battered. The Magikarp continued to chatter dumbly, but made no effort to flop away.

“Ow…ow…ow…” Darren whimpered as he slowly tested out his limbs.

Everything hurt. A lot.

“Ngh…” Darren groaned, pushing himself up into a hunched over sitting position. He glanced to Magikarp, and noticed the gold-flecked scales. “Huh? Are you the first Magikarp I hatched?” Darren questioned distractedly, for the pain he felt was consuming a large part of his mind.

“Karp. Karp. Karp.” Magikarp chattered, now flopping uselessly on the muddy grass. Darren picked the magikarp up and noticed the white barbells on the side of its face. “Yeah. You’re her.” Darren decided, since he had known every magikarp on that farm and only one looked exactly like the one he hatched—which was her. _A female. A round, fat female_. Darren observed, recognizing the magikarp’s plump body as a sign of pregnancy in the females.

_If she is pregnant, that means our farm can still be saved_! Darren realized, as he felt a sense of joy ghost over the rampant fear and pain he had been feeling. “It’s like ma said, I have to keep you safe…Brigid.” Darren told the fish, who stared back at him vacantly. _But where can I go? I can’t go back to the farm, and I can’t go to town…maybe I could go to_ —

A low, deep growl startled Darren out of his thoughts.

Darren looked up and saw before him an Ursaring, blocking the road. Ursaring roared, and lifted his large paw. Darren clutched Brigid, the Magikarp, tight and made a beeline for the forest brush. The Ursaring slashed Darren’s retreating arm. Darren screamed as he fell into the thorny brush, from the force of the Ursaring’s slash attack. Nonetheless he scrambled out of the brush, holding Brigid with one arm, and fighting off the thorns with the other.

_Don’t look at it. Just don’t look at it_. Darren told himself, knowing that if he saw just how bad the wound was on his arm, he might flip out.   _We’re not supposed to attack each other—so why are they attacking us_? Darren wondered, ducking to avoid colliding with a low hanging branch.

The ground underneath him shook slightly from the weight of the pursuing Ursuring. Darren hopped over a bush. His foot snagged on a curled branch. He fell onto the muddy ground. Ursurings heavy breaths behind Darren made him roll to the side, narrowly escaping another slash attack. Darren jerked his foot free, then scrambled to his feet. He slid a little on the mud. Ursuring body slammed him. Darren went flying through the forest, and crash landed into sharp brambles. He continued to roll, and slide, right into a cold river.

. . .

“Ugh…” Darren rolled on to his side and coughed water up.

“Bwweee! Beeee!”

Darren jolted up, fearful that a Pokemon was going to attack him. He yelped with pain, and quickly doubled over for a long moment. Since the brunt of the adrenaline had faded, Darren felt as if he could count every screaming nerve in his body.

“Brrwwee!” The soft, concerned voice continued to chatter, right alongside Brigid’s own indistinguishable drivel. Darren lifted his head up and saw a small, almost humanoid Pokemon hovering before him. The light green skin was familiar.

 “C-C-Celebi?” Darren exclaimed, skeptical of the fairy-like Pokemon chittering at him. The Pokemon seemed to perk up, and performed a little twirl in the air.

“Karp.” Brigid voiced, beginning to flop uselessly again.

_No way! Celebi_? Darren questioned, clutching his wounded shoulder.

Celebi smiled in response, and twirled again. Darren slowly stood up, and looked over his shoulder to see the cause of the repetitive crashing noise. _A waterfall_. Darren blinked at it for a moment, not quite comprehending what the waterfall meant.  _Wait. Am I in a cave behind the waterfall_!? 

“Brrwee!” Celebi chimed affirmatively, then she zipped over to a large stone slab, illuminated only by her light.

“Uh? What’s that?” Darren asked, and stepped towards Celebi, leaving Brigid to flop on the ground. A wave of nausea washed over the teenager. He swayed. Celebi zoomed to him and caught his arm in her small arms, which steadied him.

“Beeew?” Celebi wondered, concern rising in her once jovial tone.

“Sorry. I don’t feel well.” Darren admitted, feeling fatigued. He held his arm tighter, then tried to swallow the rising panic stemming from the part of his brain that knew he was injured—too injured to be waltzing around through a dark, damp cave with a legendary Pokemon.

Celebi frowned, emitting a soft whimper. She watched him nervously as he regained himself enough to stumble to the stone slab in the center of the cave.

_Ah, there’s writing on it_. Darren realized, once Celebi illuminated the words with her soft, green light. Darren leaned heavily on the stone structure, and began to read it.

_Never fear, Obsidian is here._

_During the darkest night, he shall rise once more_.

“Obsidian?” Darren questioned, narrowing his eyes with thought.

“Celliee!” Celebi chimed impatiently, distracting Darren from his thoughts. Darren watched Celebi motion for the top of the stone to be moved.

“Oh. You want me to open it.” Darren realized, and tried to push the stone to the side. He mustered what strength he could, using his right arm, and shoulder to push. The left arm felt too weak and strained to participate. Darren grunted, and sweated just to push the stone an inch. Celebi cheered noisily, then squeezed herself into the dark entrance.

Bright green light emitted from the stone box, as if Celebi was using magic. Darren figured that Celebi got what she wanted, so he let himself collapse with his back to the stone. He panted, and tried not to feel sicker than he already did, but he felt the familiar, uncomfortable warmth of dizziness spread through him.

Little black dots began to infiltrate his vision, as his eyelids became heavier. Just as he thought he might faint, a harsh grinding noise ensued—the lid of the stone box was being pushed aside.

_Wait. Obsidian. Only one samurai used the obsidian sword legendary enough to write about_! Darren realized with utter horror.

“No, Celebi!” Darren whirled around, desperate to close the stone slab before evil was unleashed onto the Pokemon world. _No. It’s too late_! Darren fretted, witnessing a young man rise out of the tomb.

Celebi hovered next to him, grinning from ear to ear, completely unconcerned that the most evil man in the history of Pokemon had just risen from the dead with her help.

_Is Celebi evil? No, it must be a trick. A ghost Pokemon must have taken Celebi’s form to manipulate me into letting him in his master’s tomb…maybe I am just a naïve Magikarp farmer_. _Damn it, I’m so stupid_. Darren agonized, unable to flee like he wanted to.

The guy opened his blue eyes, and immediately scanned the cave around him.

“Bwee!” Celebi sung, thrilled to see the blonde-haired man awake. He set a hand on Celebi’s head as he stepped over, and out of the eerie tomb. Darren hastily clambered backwards, until his back hit the rough, cave wall.

_No, no, no, this can’t be happening…he’s supposed to be dead_!  Darren told himself, more panicked than he was when he saw the statue of the foreboding man. He hung his head, squeezed his eyes shut, and prayed to the Pokemon gods for the first time in years.

“Bmmm?” Celebi inquired, putting a hand over her mouth as she tilted her head to the side.

“Ah. You released the seal on my tomb.” The man, Lucian, noted aloud formally, as he observed the quivering teenager. He stepped towards Darren, who flinched at the sound of soft footsteps against the cave floor. The steps barely echoed, unlike Darren’s previous steps that _had_ echoed. Loudly.

“I am sorry!” Darren said loudly, feeling as if he was frozen on his spot on the ground. “Y-you can g-go back to sleep now…!” Darren suggested desperately, childishly hoping the stranger would simply realize what a mistake this all was and go back to sleep as if nothing had happened.

“I just rose from a long slumber.” Lucian pointed out, as Celebi nodded in confirmation.

“Yeah, yeah, just—just go sleep some more.” Darren insisted desperately, nodding his head and gesturing fervently with his right hand towards the tomb.

“Why do you not _look_ at me?” Lucian questioned curiously.

“I am scared.” Darren admitted quietly, not caring about his tough image after realizing what a useless boy he was. He just unleashed the Pokemon Slayer onto the unsuspecting world. No one else was stupid enough to make such a catastrophic mistake like that.

“That’s preposterous.” Lucian scoffed, and knelt down on one knee to be at Darren’s level. “I have never harmed anyone before. Don’t you even know who I am, young one?” Lucian asked, bewildered by Darren’s blatant fear.

“Liar! You’re the Pokemon Slayer!” Darren shouted accusingly, finally looking at Lucian, with a quiet fury in his eyes. _Lucian. The Pokemon Slayer. The one man in history who murdered Pokemon. He is evil_.

Lucian leaned back, his eyes narrowing. “What?” Lucian questioned, finding the accusation surprising.

Brigid began to flop towards Darren.

Flop. Flop. Flop.

Lucian tensed. Darren turned to look at Brigid, coming towards them.

“A Magikarp!?” Lucian sprang up hastily drawing his legendary obsidian sword with a quick sweep of his arm. Darren scrambled to his feet, alarmed by the swords presence. Lucian stretched his other arm out in front of Darren. “Stay back! I will protect you.” Lucian proclaimed, then rushed towards the bouncing Magikarp.

“What? Prote—NO!” Darren screamed and ran after Lucian. Lucian side stepped around the Magikarp, and lifted his sword. Darren leapt towards Brigid and curled his body over her. “Don’t hurt her!”

“Augh! Stupid boy. She’ll kill you!” Lucian shouted in frustration, trying to find an opening to stab Brigid.

“She’s just a magikarp! MY magikarp.” Darren argued, willing to protect Brigid no matter the cost.

“Ridiculous! Now, move.” Lucian demanded, and since he found no opening, he kicked Darren aside. Darren gasped, and rolled along the cave floor. He lurched up, then fell right back down.

_No. I can’t move_. Darren realized, fatigue having taken its toll on his body. Darren tried to lift himself once more, but his shaky arms gave out on him again. A tear slid down his face. _She’s going to die and I can’t help her_.

All Darren could do was reach his arm out towards Brigid as the sword of destruction plunged down towards Brigid. “Brigid!” Darren cried, desperate and scared the fish was going to be impaled. _I saw the other Magikarp be eaten by a terrifying Pokemon…now I have to see Brigid be killed by a man I put into this world_?

Fate was cruel.


End file.
